This disclosure relates in general to deployable antenna reflectors and, but not by way of limitation, to deployable reflectors utilizing shape-memory polymers among other things.
Antennas are designed to concentrate RF energy being broadcast or received into a directional beam to reduce the power required to transmit the signal. A reflective antenna uses one or more large surfaces, or reflectors, to reflect and focus the beam onto a feed. Spacecraft often employ large reflectors that must be reduced in size for launch and which are deployed on orbit. A deployable antenna reflector should be light weight, have a small stowage-to-deployment volumetric ratio, provide an efficient reflective surface, and be as simple as possible to deploy.